Story+2000-05-07+Hartford,+CT



´´(sings ‘Take Me to the River’) That´s right....that’s where I wanna go tonight....I wanna go to the riverside....I want to go down to that riverside....and I wanna stand in the waters of the river of life....I wanna wash myself in the river of hope and of faith....I wanna find that river of transformation, that place where you can go and, if you want to, you can be changed ....you can change yourself....I wanna find that river of resurrection tonight....that place where the new day begins....and everybody gets a second chance.....and I wanna find that river of sexual healing....that´s right, let the healing begin....that river of happiness....and that river of joyousness....that´s where I wanna go tonight and I want you to go with me.... because that´s why I´m here.....because I need to go with you....because I can´t get there by myself....I´ve tried many times but I can´t get there by myself....and you can´t get there by yourself, you can´t get to those things on your own.....that´s why tonight I wanna throw us a rock and roll baptism....that´s right....I wanna throw a rock and roll exorcism, I wanna be washed, washed in those waters and set free....but once I stood, as a young man, one evening ....before a dark grove of trees and just like a little child....afraid of the dark, I was frightened to pass through those trees even though I knew that on the other side there was the river of life waiting....there was cold beer at a reasonable price ....and there were no more car phones either !...but I was afraid to go on.....and a....gypsy lady called me forth and she said ´Son.... what your problem is is you need help to get through those woods, what´s your line ? (?) what do you do ?´ and I told her and she said ´Well, then what you need is you need a band....you need a rocking band, that would solve your problems´....that´s why I´d like to introduce tonight the dean of the university of musical perversity, on the piano, Professor Roy Bittan....that´s right....I want to go from the piano to the Soprano and I want to introduce the Minister of faith and friendship, keeper of all that is righteous on E Street and star of the ´Sopranos´-television show, Steve Van Zandt....with me at the riverside...I want to introduce the foundation of the E Street nation, Southern man, Mr.Garry W.Tallent on the bass....I wanna introduce the man that brings the power night after night, that never lets down (?), star of Late Night Television, the Mighty Max Weinberg....the Secretary of heart and spirit, the Godfather of the guitar, the great Nils Lofgren.....with me at the riverside, the Minister of mystery....on the Hammond B-3 organ and accordion, Brother Dan Federici....Stevie, help me out, Brother...ooh, yeah (sings a bit of ´My Girl´)....on the guitar and vocals, Miss Patti Scialfa, the First Lady of love....and now last but not least.....last but not least....the Minister of soul....Secretary of the brotherhood.....and if we lived in a righteous nation, the next president of the United States....do I have to say his name ?....do I have to say his name ? ...say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?....say who ? ....say who ? ....say who ? ....say who ?....say who ?....say who ?.... (....) The E Street Band !...the house-rocking, nerve-shocking, earth-quaking, housebreaking, history-making, motherfucking E Street Band !....”
 * 07.05.00 Hartford, CT, middle of ´Tenth Avenue Freeze Out´**

´´I wanna do this tonight for the folks from the Hartford Food System that are with us....a Hartford foodbank, they will be in the hall tonight, they´re here in Hartford....providing support and sustenance to Connecticut´s struggling citizens, there´s many, many, many, many people who the economy is not reaching and does not reach and Hartford Food System is there to provide support for their daily needs, to make sure that no-one, no child needs to go to bed hungry at night, please support them on your way out....(?)....this is for the folks from the Hartford Food System....”
 * 07.05.00 Hartford, CT, intro to ´Human Touch´**

´´Wanna do this tonight, uh....wanna do this tonight for Joyce, Joyce Zakim, I´d like to do this for you and for the memory of Lenny, Lenny Zakim, his, his life and his spirit remains with us....and I send this out for you....this is for him....”
 * 07.05.00 Hartford, CT, intro to ´No Surrender´**

‘‘Hartford !...the insurance capital of the world !....I want to be insured....but everywhere I’ve gone, I’ve seen people lost in confusion....lost in the wilderness....lost in bitterness .... lost in unpaid insurance claims....lost !....but tonight we’re here on a search-and-rescue mission, we’ve come thousands of miles around the world many times....kissed all kinds of girls....a very long time ago....but tonight if you´re downhearted, disgusted, disspirited, dispossessed, downsized, stigmatised, re-re-Republicanised, ooh, retropsychedelicized, I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight...I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight....I´m here tonight to re-educate, to resuscitate, to regenerate, to reconfiscate, to resexualate....to reliberate you with the power and the promise, with the power and the glory, with the majesty, with the mystery....with the ministry of rock and roll !...that´s right, that´s right....(?) that´s right, that´s right, that´s right ....but unlike my competitors, I shall not, I will not, I cannot promise you life everlasting.... but I can promise you life....right now !....and all you got to do is raise your hands and say ´I !´.... ”
 * 07.05.00 Hartford, CT, middle of ´Light of Day´ **

//Compiled by : Johanna Pirttijärvi//